Ex-Morgan Stanley Advisor Pleads Guilty to Taking Bank Data

morganstanleyblue

(Bloomberg) -- A fired Morgan Stanley financial advisor who downloaded client data to a home server, some of which ended up on a public website, pleaded guilty to accessing the bank's computer network without permission.

Processing Content

Galen Marsh transferred confidential information on 730,000 customers to a private server in his New Jersey home from June 2011 to December 2014, according to prosecutors. Account information about 900 clients was found on an external website, Morgan Stanley said in January.

The data was "promptly" removed from the site, the bank said.

Marsh didn't post the information online, share it with anyone or plan to sell it, Robert C. Gottlieb, his lawyer, said at the time.

Read more: Morgan Stanley Breach: Advisor Downloaded Client Data From Across the Country

Marsh pleaded guilty Monday in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Kevin Duffy in Manhattan. He faces as long as five years in prison when he's sentenced Dec. 7. He is free on a $200,000 bond.

Marsh "acknowledged that he should not have obtained the account information," Gottlieb said in January.

Marsh, who joined the wirehouse in 2008 and worked in New York, said he cooperated with the New York-based bank.

In a statement Monday, Morgan Stanley said that Marsh's guilty plea "makes clear that misuse of client account information will not be tolerated."

Read more:


For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Financial planning
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING

Large wealth managers are chasing a multitrillion dollar opportunity to manage more of their clients' assets. But many high net worth investors give their business to multiple firms, whether out of a desire for protection, habit or a need to shop around for the best returns.

1h ago
8 Min Read

The latest projections indicate the main Social Security retirement fund will reach insolvency in less than six and a half years. For retirees and their advisors, that could mean a potential rethink of retirement plans.

4h ago
3 Min Read
Social Security Building Bloomberg

Michael Beloff has helped families with special needs while also understanding how to best take care of his own son with autism. He's grown free outreach into a thriving niche.

8h ago
9 Min Read
Michale Beloff

In a recent industry snapshot, the Investment Adviser Association found the average number of data points advisors have to report in annual regulatory filings has nearly doubled to more than 1,000 since 2011.

June 8
5 Min Read

A technicality in the federal law enacted in July 2025 changed how deductions work for estates and trusts, creating uncertainty over how taxes are allocated after a person's death.

June 8
2 Min Read

Advisor Growth Solutions founder Jeffrey Czajka created a new professional community for early-career advisors at a low price point by the field's standards.

June 8
4 Min Read
Jeffrey Czajka is the founder of Advisor Growth Solutions.